Breathing apparatus



1932-- I H. v. STURTEVANT 1,880,993

BREATHING APPARATUS Filed Augpl. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. E V. Szarkmni' Oct. 4, 1932. H7 v. STURTEVANT 1,880,998

BREATHING-'APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. H V Silvie mini ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1932 HAROLD V. ST'URTEVANT, F SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA BREATHING APPARATUS Application filed August 1, 1928. Serial No. 296,681.

This invention relates to improvements in respiratory apparatus and more particularly to amouth piece for breathing apparatus which shall facilitate breathing in an atmosphere where excessive dust, dangerous or noxious gases are present."

The object of this invention is to providea mouth piece having a saliva reservoir located therein to collect and retain saliva so as to facilitate'the operation of the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a 'mouth' piece of the character designated having an air inlet valve located on the inside of the mouth piece so that'the saliva collected therein shall not enter the air inlet tube and prevent proper inhalation of air.

- A further. object of the invention is to provide a'mouth piece of the character designated which shall be light in weight, simple in construction, and more eflicient in operation than similar apparatus heretofore employed. These and other objects of the invention will be more manifest from the following specification and description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and specifically set forth in the claim.

In the drawings,

v Figurel is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus as applied to the person;

Figure 2 is a side view of the mouth piece supported in the mouth of the person;

Figure 3 is an end view'ofthe apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Figure f is a longitudinal sectional view 7 of the mouth piece; and

Figure 5 is a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4: in which the valves are set at an angle to each other.

Referringto Fig. 1 of the drawings, there isshown a breathing apparatus employing a mouth piece 10, constructed in accordance with the present invention. This month piece 1 may be made of any suitable light metal such as aluminum, for example. The mouth piece is contemplated to be of such size that it may readily be grasped between the teeth and supported in the mouth of the wearer without the aid of any straps or other bandages frequenta minimum amount of annoyance or discomfort to the wearer. Such a device has particular application for use by miners or other persons who are obliged to work under adverse conditions where cumbersome breathing apparatus cannot be endured for long periods of time.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mouth piece comprises a cylindrical casing or body member 14 having one end thereof formed into a tubular mouth portion 15. This mouthportion is provided with a rubber covering- 16 having a soft rubber flange 17 projecting therefrom so as to extend between the teeth and lips of the wearer, so

that it maybe held firmly in the mouth and prevent the inhalation of any dust or gases except through the mouth piece. The flange 17 may be of any convenient shape, round or elliptical, for example, to suit the convenience of the wearer.

The casing 14, is provided with air inlet h and'discharge valves, and, as shown in Fig. 4, an air'i'nlet valve 19 is located in the interior of-the casing 14 and a discharge valve 20 is located in the top part of the casing directly above the inlet valve. These valves are of the usual disc type, and are protected by screen members 21 and 22, respectively,

arranged to regulate the extent to which the valves are opened and also to prevent any coarse or foreign matter from entering the valves.

A11 is conducted to the mouth plece from the purifier apparatus 11 by the tubes 12 and 13, andthese connect with the mouth piece by means of a' Y-shaped metallic tubular member 23, which extends into the lower portion of the casing member. The tubular member 23 projectswell into the interior of the casing in accordance with the present invention, and serves to provide a support casing and also provides a saliva reservoir operated by the wearer to drain the saliva in the bottom portion of the casing 14. The exterior branch portion of the member 23 is provided with tube connections 24: and 25 for the air inlet tubes 12 and 13 respectively. This reservoir serves to collect and retain any-moisturethat accumulates and pie vents it from entering the air inlet tubes and thereby impair the operation of the apparatus. When'the breathing apparatus-is A mouth piece for breathing apparatus in constant use for long intervals of tiine,the accumulation of saliva is adequate to lubricate the valves and cause themto seat prop erly under all conditions to which 'a workman wearing the device may b S bjected.

The outer end of'the body member 14 is closed by a cap 26 which maybe removed to allow accessto the interiorof the mouth piecefor any reason This closure cap is provided with an opening 27 near the lower peripheral edge thereoffor draining the reservoir of excess saliva. This opening 27 is provided with an outwardlyprojecting rim or flange which serves as a seat for a fiat closure member-28 which may manually "be reservoirwhenever it is desired. The valve position by means of a spring 31.

.. In the modification shown inv Fig. 5, the

' air-inlet anddischarge valves are located at an angle to the axis of the casing 14 and at 7 anangle to each other. In this construction,

the closure cap is disposed at an angle to the casing member. and arranged to support an air discharge valve e1 near the peripheral edge thereof, sothatit shall also serve as a drain valve for the'saliva reservoir. This is an important feature, asiit provides a simple'and effective means for automatically draining the saliva reservoir, which operates without anyatten'tiono f thezworkman using the device. .Inthis construction an 'lair inlet valve 40 is supported at an an'gle to the axis of the casing by means ofthetubular inletmember 42, projecting intothe casing.

' The arrangement iof providing air inlet and dischargevalves'which areinclined at bricating the valves and thereby facilitating the operation thereof.

While I have shown twornodifications'of the invention, it is lobvious that. various changes maybe made herein without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the claim. y

* I claim: l

comprising, in combination, a cylindrical reduced tubularextension formed on one end or" the casing above the bottom of the chamber' fo'rinsertion in thejmouth 'of the user; a removable closure having a flange engaging the casing at the opposite end, an ex haling. outlet in said removable closure, the lowest level of which is below the lowest leveloi the reduced tubular'extension; an outwardly opening disk valve on the outside of said outlet;;a vertical tubular-inhaling conduit extending through the bottom of the casing and terminating above the: lowest level of the exhaling outlet whereby saliva andwater of condensation may collect in the lower portion or the chamber and discharge,

by gravity through the exhaling outlet, with- HAROLI) V. STURTEVAN-T.

an angle to each otherinsures -a more=relia-' ble operationflof' the-valves in the various positions necessarily obtained while the apparatus is beingv 1 worn by a 9 workman.

j ple,'must necessarily work in. many-post .tions in which theusual' type of horizontal It :frequently happens that a miner, for examdisc valve does not function properly, and. a 1

i by thus providingiangularly disposed valves withjthe mouth piece above described, their a lubrication and operation--is' greatly facili- From theforeg oingi description, it is obvious' that a mouth. piece-emb'odying the 

